Black widow
"Black Widow" is a song by Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, from her debut studio album The New Classic (2014). The song's hook is sung by British recording artist Rita Ora, and its lyrics chronicle subjects of revenge and feminism in a failed romantic relationship. "Black Widow" was written by Azalea, Katy Perry, Sarah Hudson, Benny Blanco, and duo Stargate; the latter also produced the song. On 8 July 2014, the song impacted on mainstream radio stations in the US as the fifth single from The New Classic and the accompanying music video for the song was released on August 13, 2014. The song has currently peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her third top-three hit, following "Fancy" and "Problem". The song also became Ora's first top-three hit in the US. It has also reached number four in the UK and number fifteen in Australia. Initially a track recorded by Perry for her fourth studio album, Prism (2013), the song was excluded from its tracklisting, however Perry handed the demo to Azalea for her to complete. "Black Widow" has been described as "channeling the trap" genre, containing an ominous steel drum rhythm, heavy bass and a sparse beat. Its composition has been the subject of music critics' comparisons to Perry's "Dark Horse". Other journalists, praised its beat and Azalea and Ora's vocals. "Black Widow" charted due to strong digital sales during the debut week of The New Classic. Accordingly, before becoming a single it achieved peaks of number 91 in the United Kingdom and number 86 in Australia, and appeared on several component charts. Azalea has performed the song live as part of the set list for her first headlining tour, The New Classic Tour (2014). The song appears in Just Dance 2015. The song participated for Scotland in the Own Eurovision Song Contest 32, where it was the runner-up , receiving a total amount of 166 points. Release On 26 February 2014, in an interview with Los Angeles radio station Power 106, Azalea stated that the album's fifth single would be written by Perry and feature an undisclosed female artist. A 90-second preview of "Black Widow" was released on 11 April 2014. The song's full version then leaked online on 17 April 2014, five days prior to the release of The New Classic on 22 April 2014. In an interview with music website HotNewHipHop on 3 June 2014, Azalea confirmed the song as the forthcoming fifth single from the album. It was released on 14 September 2014 in the United Kingdom. Composition "Black Widow" is a song which runs for a duration of three minutes and 29 seconds and has been described as a song that "channels more trap music with its beat". The song combines a sparse snap and heavy trap beat with a refrain that follows a slow-building, clapping chorus formula which peaks but deliberately never capitalizes. Instrumentally, "Black Widow" is composed of an ominous steel drum rhythm, and heavy bass, while its dance breakdown is employed with minimalism. Azalea solicits the track's verses with a snarling, bitter technique, consisting of rhyming employed with a spitting delivery. While Ora uses a seething element to sing the track's hook, "I'm gonna love ya, until you hate me / And I'm gonna show ya, what's really crazy / You should've known better, than to mess with me harder / I'm gonna love you, I'm gonna love you / Gonna love you, gonna love you / Like a black widow baby". Combined, Ora and Azalea's vocals are based on a call and response structure throughout the song. Critical response "Black Widow" was met with generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Rory Cashin of Entertainment.ie felt the track had "future hit written all over it", and lauded Ora's "sing-along chorus", Stargate's "fantastic" production, and considered the song to be a "darker alternative" to "Dark Horse".A writer for MuchMusic felt "Black Widow" was "a killer collaboration", in the same vein as Azalea's fourth single "Fancy" which featured Charli XCX. MTV Buzzworthy's Nedeska Alexis placed the song in her list of the 4 Songs You Have To Hear from the album, and said Perry "worked her magic on the track." Lucy O'Brien of The Quietus called the track a "call-and-response anthem." Marie Claire journalist Lauren Valenti deemed the song "deliciously wicked" and "nothing short of brilliant", and commended Ora's vocal delivery on the track's hook. A writer for Rap-Up called Azalea and Ora "a deadly duo" on the song. Saeed Saeed of The National highlighted "Black Widow" as a stand out track on The New Classic and praised its "strong chorus and slithering beats." Saeed's view was echoed by John Wiley of The Heights who listed the song as one of two highlights on the record. Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Craig Mathieson stated, "while her verses don't have the sustained length of her previous underground releases, Azalea skillfully upsets convention." Kyle Moody of the Marquette Wire preferred Azalea's sound "Black Widow" to the more rap-orientated songs on The New Classic. Laetitia Wong Wai Yi of Today felt the track attained well-deserved hype and commended it for "perfectly" combining Azalea's vocal fluidity with its minimalistic dance breakdown. Glamour journalist Megan Angelo positively reviewed the song, writing, "'Black Widow' isn't just an excellent get-up, get-ready, get-moving song for Friday night—it also happens to be a Women Killing Music summit in the form of a neat little track." Track listing Digital download # "Black Widow (featuring Rita Ora)" track – 3:23 Remixes EP # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Remix — 3:39 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Prime Remix — 5:41 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Prime Radio Edit — 3:24 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Prime Instrumental — 5:41 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Twizt Remix — 5:07 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Twizt Remix Radio Edit — 3:22 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Remix — 4:24 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Slackers Remix — 5:31 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Slackers Remix Radio Edit — 3:17 # "Black Widow" (featuring Rita Ora) Remix — 4:35 Weekly charts Points awarded to Scotland (Grand Final) See also * Own Eurovision Song Contest 32 * Scotland Category:OESC songs of Scotland Category:OESC 32 songs Category:OESC 32 songs Final